Travel health insurance is coverage for you purchase to pay for medical expenses while you are traveling – often abroad.
As expensive as travel can be, choosing to add protection from unforeseen medical or other circumstances can be a wise move.
If you choose travel health insurance, a plan typically offers medical reimbursement for emergency medical expenses while you are traveling. Plans are available for short-term periods, but for those who travel frequently, or those who live overseas part of the year, longer term coverage may be available, too.
Travel health insurance is not to be confused with travel insurance, which typically offers protection only when there’s a change to pre-booked travel. Travel insurance covers things like trip cancellation, trip interruption or delay, emergency medical evacuation or repatriation, lost luggage (in some cases), 24-hour assistance, accidental death and dismemberment, and rental car coverage.
With travel health insurance, there are typically trip no cancellation benefits. Benefits are payable only for medical care, dental care (with some policies), medical evaluation, and transport to care (ambulance, air ambulance).
You may be able to choose single trip or multi-trip plans, with the latter offering coverage for as many trips during a specified period.
You can purchase travel health insurance through travel agents, airlines, insurers, and third parties like links from the State Department website (see below) or InsureMyTrip.
A family plan can be health insurance you purchase on your own – directly through an insurer, broker, third party, coverage you opt-into through your employer, or coverage you get through the Affordable Care Act public exchange (HealthCare.gov or one of the 15+ state exchanges like Covered California).